Museo de la Historia de Ponce facts for kids
Museo de la Historia de Ponce
on Calle Isabel and Calle Mayor Cantera |
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| Established | 12 December 1992 |
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| Location | Calle Isabel #53, SE corner of Calle Isabel & Calle Mayor, Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Type | History museum |
| Visitors | 12,464 (2000) |
| Owner | Autonomous Municipality of Ponce |
The Museo de la Historia de Ponce (which means Museum of the History of Ponce) is a special museum located in the old Casa Salazar-Candal building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. This museum tells the story of Ponce, showing how the city's environment, economy, buildings, government, and daily life have changed over time. Its main goal is to help people learn about, protect, and share the history of Ponce and Puerto Rico.
The museum first opened on December 12, 1992. It was the very first museum in Puerto Rico created to focus on the history of a specific town or city. It takes visitors on a journey through Ponce's past, from the ancient Taino Indians who lived there long ago, all the way up to today. The museum opened during the time of Mayor Rafael Cordero Santiago, as part of a big celebration for Ponce's 300th birthday.
You can find the museum in the old part of the city, just a short walk from the main Plaza Las Delicias town square. It's at the corner of Isabel and Mayor Cantera streets. The main museum is in the Casa Salazar-Candal, but it also includes the nearby Rosali-Zapater house, which holds the museum's offices. There's also an empty space where the Schuck Gelpí family's house used to be. In 2014, another nearby building, the Casa Rosita Serrallés, became part of the museum. It's now known as the "Museo de la Recordacion Barrio Mameyes" or "Barrio Mameyes Memorial Museum", which remembers the Mameyes landslide event.
Contents
Exploring the Museum's History
The idea for a history museum in Ponce started way back in the 1930s, but it didn't happen then. Years later, the idea came back to life. The plan was to build a museum using two historic homes, Casa Salazar and Casa Zapater, and the empty lot where Casa Shuck Gelpí once stood. However, the project stopped again.
The plan was restarted with some changes in the late 1980s. This time, Ms. Maruja Candal Salazar and Dr. Neysa Rodríguez Deynes led the project. They worked with a team of experts to restore the Salazar and Zapater houses. From 1989 to 1992, they also finished the research and design for the museum's first four main exhibits. These exhibits covered the environment, a general overview of the city, its economy, and its architecture.
In 1994, the museum started its second phase. This included creating two new exhibits: one about health and another called "Ponce in Puerto Rican Political Life." They also added a multimedia show called "Ponce is Ponce." In 1998, the Ernesto Ramos Antonini auditorium opened. It was built where the old Shuck Gelpí House used to be.
What's Happening Now at the Museum
By 2002, ten years after it opened, the Museum of the History of Ponce had become one of the most active cultural places in Puerto Rico. It was also known as Puerto Rico's most complete history museum. The museum offers many cultural activities to help people learn more about the history of Puerto Rico and Ponce. As part of its 10th anniversary, the museum began its third and final phase of development. This included two new permanent exhibits about education and daily life, and the creation of a full museum catalog.
The Museum Buildings
The main building that holds the museum has beautiful stained-glass windows, colorful mosaics, and peaceful inner courtyards. Both buildings used for the museum are old homes from the early 1900s. The Salazar House was built in 1911 and designed by Blas C. Silva Boucher. It has a mix of old and new styles and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Zapater home, built in 1880 and rebuilt in 1925, shows a typical Puerto Rican townhouse style. It was once home to some of Ponce's important families. It was also designed by Blas Silva.
What You Can See Inside
The museum has 10 different rooms filled with exhibits. It displays facts, old papers, objects, and relics from Ponce's past. These items show how important Ponce has been in the history of Puerto Rico, including its ideas, politics, society, culture, and economy. The museum also highlights Ponce's role in the arts, like music, theater, opera, books, and newspapers. You can also learn about the different cultures that influenced southern Puerto Rico, such as Spanish, African, and other non-European groups.
Main Exhibits to Explore
Ecology: The Land and Its Creatures
This first exhibit shows you the land and weather of Ponce: its coast, flat areas, and mountains. It explains how the natural world of the city is the starting point for understanding its history. You'll see a small model of the area, with pictures of its rich soil, natural resources, and native fauna (animals).
Panorama: People and Their Journey
This exhibit shows how people came to live in Ponce and how the population grew from ancient times to the early 1900s. It highlights where the people who live in Ponce today came from, showing that Ponce has a mix of many different groups. A detailed model of the city shows Ponce during its busiest time, at the end of the 1800s.
Politics: Ponce's Role in Government
This exhibit focuses on how Ponce has influenced Puerto Rico's politics and the local government of Ponce. It has two rooms. The first room shows how Puerto Rico's government developed from 1508 until the 1950s. Pictures, documents, and objects show important times in Puerto Rican politics and Ponce's big role in them. The second room explains the creation of the Estado Libre Asociado (Commonwealth of Puerto Rico). It also highlights the lives and work of governors who were from Ponce, like Luis A. Ferré and Rafael Hernández Colón. You can also learn about Roberto Sánchez Vilella, who considered Ponce his adopted city. A special item in this exhibit is the Prince of Asturias of Literature Prize, a small bronze statue made by the famous Spanish artist Juan Miró.
Finance and Economics: How Ponce Grew
This exhibit is one of the most important in the museum. It shows how economic development has been the biggest reason for Ponce's growth from its beginning until now. The growth of the port, farming, factories, and banks has helped Ponce's economy. This economic growth has also greatly supported the city's culture, society, and intellectual life, which you can see in this exhibit.
Architecture and Urban Development: Building the City
This exhibit shows how Ponce's city landscape has changed over time. It introduces the architects who designed buildings in Ponce and points out special features of Ponce's unique architecture. It includes homes, military buildings, public institutions, and public spaces. These elements define Ponce as an important traditional city. The exhibit includes a small model of the city's development and a display of photos, plans, buildings, architects, and art.
Health and Medicine: Caring for the Community
This exhibit shows how Ponce's main health centers and medical community developed from 1863 until today. It also highlights important health events, like Dr. Bailey K. Ashford's discovery of the parasite that causes uncinaria ancylostomiasis (a type of hookworm infection). It also covers the country's first kidney transplant. You'll see documents, photos, old prescriptions, awards, and personal items that once belonged to different doctors from Ponce.
Museum Collections
To create its collections, the museum received help from over 200 people from Ponce. They lent or donated photographs, documents, and objects. The museum now has over 3,000 photographs, documents, pieces of furniture, and other items. Some are on display, and others are kept safely in storage.
Here are some of the most important collections:
The Dr. Manuel de la Pila Iglesias Collection
This collection covers the period from 1898 to 1950. It includes documents, photographs, and personal items of Dr. Manuel de la Pila Iglesias. These items show how health and medicine developed in Ponce during the early to mid-1900s.
The Juan Sisco Santiago Collection
This collection covers the period from 1930 to 1980. It includes documents, publications, objects, and photographs by the famous Ponce photographer Juan Sisco Santiago. These items show the political, social, cultural, and economic daily life of Ponce during the second half of the 1900s.
The Dr. Ana Dolores Pérez Marchand Collection
This collection covers the period from 1911 to 1950. It includes photographs, documents, publications, and personal items of Ponce's first female doctor, Ana Dolores Pérez Marchand. Dr. Pérez Marchand was also one of the first three female doctors in all of Puerto Rico. This collection is very helpful for studying the role of women in the early 1900s and the development of health and medicine in Puerto Rico.
The Emilio J. Pasarell Collection
This collection covers the period from 1900 to 1920. It includes postcards by Ponce photographer José Rodríguez Serra. The collection was given to the museum by the family of Emilio J. Pasarell. These postcards offer a visual look at Ponce's streets, public and private buildings, plazas, and businesses in the first two decades of the 1900s.
The Mariana Suárez de Longo Collection
This collection covers the period from 1949 to 1970. It includes letters, invitations, graduation cards, newspaper clippings, telegrams, and photographs of educational activities in Ponce between 1949 and 1970.
The Ramón López Crespo Collection
The Ramón López Crespo collection covers the period from 1960 to 1980. It includes photographs, posters, programs from cultural events, magazines, letters, newspapers, and flyers for music and theater events. These items show the cultural life and events in Ponce between 1960 and 1980.
See also
